APPALOOSA

Western

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS
Jeremy Irons: Randall Bragg, leader of an outlaw gang
Timothy Spall: Townsman Phil Olson
Ed Harris: Virgil Cole, one of two “guns-for-hire”
Viggo Mortensen: the other one, his long-time partner Everett Hitch
Renée Zellweger: Allison (Allie) French

REVIEW
Just one look at the cast and it will come as no surprise that there are stellar performances by virtually everyone.

Along the lines of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid it is rather slow paced with the emphasis on character development rather than a lot of fighting and shooting. At almost two hours for some it will be seen as a tad too long but I can’t recall any really dull moments.

There is uncompromising attention to period detail: the crinkled panes of glass, the house being constructed in timber framing style (and not today’s stick framing method using dimensional lumber), vintage style handcuffs, authentic period costumes sometime realistically frayed on the edges.

CLASSIFICATION
for some violence and language (which seems out of line as the violence is just the usual cowboy stuff and the language is only a half dozen swear words…PG would be more appropriate).

P.S.
It has been my experience that a movie with one person holding down more that 3 principal roles results in a lousy film. Ed Harris has four key positions (as leading man, Director, Producer and Writer) which only serves to prove there is an exception to every rule.

THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES

Western
Based on a true story

BACKGROUND
Alexander Franklin (Frank) James (b. January 1843) and his brother Jesse (b. September 1847) joined the Cole Younger gang and participated in the robbing of their first bank in 1868. A year later the two brothers formed their own gang and added stagecoaches and trains to their list of victims. Train robberies were typically limited to stealing the contents of the express safe while leaving the passengers untouched. The newspaper accounts fostered their Robin Hood image and soon their escapades were published in comic book novels attracting a huge following.

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS
Brad Pitt: Jesse James
Sam Shepard: his older brother Frank
Casey Affleck: nineteen-year-old Robert Ford, a "wannabe" of the James Gang
Sam Rockwell: Robert’s older brother Charley and gang member
Jeremy Renner: Wood Hite, gang member and Jesse’s cousin
Paul Schneider: gang member Dick Liddil
Garret Dillahunt : another gang member Ed Miller
Mary-Louise Parker: Jesse’s wife Zee

REVIEW
I’m not a fan of long movies. But once in a while one comes along that warrants spending a couple of hours watching it: this is one of them. The unhurried pace allows time for character development and moments for the camera to take in some stunning views of the west.

There are two particularily good performances, one by Brad Pitt (his best effort ever?) and the other by Casey Affleck (so much better than his more famous brother).

CLASSIFICATION
for some strong violence and brief sexual references.

FOR NITPICKERS ONLY
Try as I might, sometimes nothing pans out. There were four potential nitpicks:
1. Is one person a safe load on blue ice only 3 to 4 inches thick?
2. Was the Penny Farthing bike invented prior to 1881?
3. Was April 3, 1882 a Monday?
4. When was the song “Oh! Susanna” written?

In each instance the producers have done their homework and there were no inaccuracies. Woe is me.

P.S.
The great cinemaphotography is not all that surprising given the fact that the film’s Director of Photography, Roger Deakins, has been granted membership both in the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) and the British version (BSC). That says a lot about his talent.

Torquay, Devon is a town of about 100, 000 on the eastern coast of England yet Roger Deakins, Agatha Christie and 16 other well-known people in the arts were born here: must be something in the water.

3:10 TO YUMA

Western

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS
Christian Bale: rancher Dan Evans
Russell Crowe: outlaw gang leader Ben Wade
Ben Foster: his right-hand man Charlie Prince
Peter Fonda: bounty hunter Byron McElroy
Logan Lerman: Evans's 14-year-old son William
Dallas Roberts: Pinkerton man Grayson Butterfield

REVIEW
It certainly meets all the criteria of the classic Western-type movie: lots of gunfights, quick paced action, spectacular western landscapes, good guys and bad guys.

But beyond that the movie brings into play issues of morality and honesty and character. Food for thought.

The acting is first rate and the casting just perfect. Everybody looks the way they should. Production values are uniformly high. Although it’s nearly 2 hours long, the editing is crisp and there is not a lot that could (or should) be cut out.

CLASSIFICATION
for violence and some language.

FOR NITPICKERS ONLY
The doctor removes the bullet from McElroy’s stomach but does not touch it with anything other than the forceps yet it comes out all nice and clean, in pristine condition, without any sign of blood.

When he drops it into a round metal bowl the sound of the bullet hitting the bowl is too late by at least a half a second.

It passes by so quickly so I’m not 100% sure but I think the sign above the entrance reads Besser's Parlour. The correct spelling in the United States is parlor (ie: without the u).

There is no spout protruding from the round wooden water tower used to replenish the steam engines.

P.S.
In the mid-1800’s the U.S. Federal Government posted a $200 reward for the capture of anyone accused of robbing the U.S. Mail. For a cowboy who earned $40 a month this was a huge amount. In terms of today’s currency, the reward would be about $2,400.

The end credits for some strange reason use Russell Crowe's character’s name rather than his own when crediting his makeup artist, his hairstylist, etc